Monday, April 22, 2013

Yorkshire Rose Kanzashi



Long time, no blog! So sorry, we've been working a lot. Well, Helen has been working a lot. I've been, you know, taking care of the house, making sure I get my naps in, demanding more food, you know, like that.

Anyhoo, one of Helen's most admired kanzashi items in her Etsy shop is this one , the Tudor Rose. It's not a real rose, but a symbol of the marriage of Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York......the red rose of Lancaster surrounds the white rose of York. Tudor roses are frequently represented with leaves (or is it supposed to be the calyx?) in between all the petals, like this....


Well, a couple weeks ago, Helen got an email enquiring if she had ever made a Yorkshire rose, which is the same as the Tudor rose, but all white. Helen had not made one previously, but was game to give it a try. Next question: could it be a Christmas tree ornament? This was something new for Helen, and likely for many kanzashi makers. Well, here's the Yorkshire rose...


...and here's Helen's solution for hanging it on a tree....make a loop with organza ribbon, sew it to a small piece of fabric, glue the whole thing to the top of one of the petals (on the back), and run another ribbon through it, like this.....


It looks nice hanging, and Helen is thinking about offering more of her kanzashi flowers as Christmas tree ornaments, especially the red ones! We'll have to wait till fall to really act on that, but it's worth keeping in mind a little. What unusual uses have you found for your kanzashi?